Smog in Los Angeles Down 85 Percent Since 1970’s

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Q: Smog in Los Angeles is not nearly as bad as when I visited 15 years ago. Is it really better now, and if so, how did it get that way? Or did I just happen to visit on a good day?

Los Angeles is almost as famous for its choking smog – a haze of ground-level ozone and particulate pollution that can aggravate asthma and other respiratory problems – as for its Hollywood stars. The reason so much smog forms there is because the city is in a low basin surrounded by mountains, with millions of cars and industrial sites spewing emissions into the air.

But thanks to tougher state and federal air quality standards, L.A. residents can breathe easier than they’ve been able to for decades. According to the non-profit Environment California, air pollution from cars and trucks across the state has decreased since the 1970s by more than 85 percent, with peak smog levels in the city of Los Angeles itself dropping some 70 percent. Meanwhile, California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) has been tracking smog levels in the area since 1976, and reports the number of ozone advisories – where residents are advised to stay indoors due to unhealthy local accumulations of smog – fell from a high of 184 days in 1977 to between zero and a few days a year now.

“California’s efforts to reduce air pollution from cars and trucks have made the state’s air cleaner than it has been in decades and Californians are healthier as a result,” says Bernadette Del Chiaro, Environment California’s clean energy advocate. This isespecially notable because the number of miles driven in California doubled since the 1970s even though emissions significantly dropped—meaning that vehicles have gotten considerably more fuel efficient over the years. “The technologies found on new car lots today were practically unimaginable even 20 years ago, much less 40 years ago,” adds Del Chiaro. “Yet thanks to strong policies, California has pushed the auto industry to innovate and engineer a greener, cleaner car.”

According to Environment California’s research, a typical new car today is more than 99 percent cleaner burning than its 1960s counterpart. An older car produces about a ton of smog-forming pollution every 100,000 miles; a new car generates only 10 pounds over the same distance. This improvement saves consumers money at the pump as well as health care expenses and lives due to reduced pollution loads. And a new generation of hybrid and electric cars is driving automotive efficiency to even newer heights.

Comments

Great news. Imagine the impact it would have if legislature around the world put more support on renewable and sustainable energy. Instead of burning coal for electricity, why not provide subsidies and grants for solar, wind, and other renewable power plants. Another thing to consider is that hybrids and electrics are becoming more popular (even if the Chevy Volt has been put on the pause for the meantime) and most of the car brands are putting their own spin on fuel and energy efficient transportation. That’s the only way we can keep going: Renewable and sustainable. Cheers!